


coming outside the lines.

by IIzakuraII



Series: big sister mai. [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Acceptance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coming Out, Gen, Homophobia, Lesbian Toph Beifong, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, but we do stan accepting zuko, mai acting like a big sister, we dont stan homophobic zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:47:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IIzakuraII/pseuds/IIzakuraII
Summary: Toph comes out to Zuko while Mai watches in the backround.
Relationships: Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Mai (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: big sister mai. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885708
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> putting this in two parts. one for zuko accepting toph and the other for zuko not accepting toph.

"Zuko?" Toph slowly walks into the living room. Zuko is sitting on the couch. It looks like he's watching TV. Adult Swim? She doesn't know. Zuko takes his attention off the TV. In fact, he turns it off. 

"Yes?" 

Toph pulls on her sleeves. She's nervous. Something she hasn't felt in a long time. Toph doesn't know how Zuko will react if he found out his younger sister was attracted to girls more than boys. 

"Can I tell you something?" 

"Yeah, sure." Zuko sits up with his legs crossed. Toph feels her heart beating rapidly. Here goes nothing.

"What if I told you that... I like girls more than I like boys?" 

"As friends? Correct?" 

"No. I like girls more than boys. Relationship wise."

"You're joking with me?"

Toph shakes her head. She hears him sigh. She can't see his reaction but she can sure tell by the way his voice sounds. Disappointed with a mix of shame.

"I'm not. I really like girls." Toph hears Zuko stand up from the couch. Her body is shaking and she's trying to hold back tears.

"I think you're too young to decide when you have a sexuality, Toph. You don't have any boys you like?" 

"No..." Toph feels some tears run down her face. She quickly wipes them off.

"I get that you're upset but you are too young to like girls. Maybe when you're about 16, I'll think about it. In other words, you don't like girls. At least, I don't think you like girls." Zuko looks up at Toph. Tears run down her face faster than a waterfall. Toph doesn't say anything. Her own brother just said the things she feared that he would say. 

"Don't you agree?--" Before he could finish his sentence, Toph runs into her room and slams the door. He could hear the muffled crying in his little sister's room. 

"Well, Zuko..." Mai walks out of room. She's beyond pissed. She's furious. Her voice may not sound like it but her face sure looks like it. "Congrats, 'big brother', you just broke her trust. Are you happy?"

"I didn't break anything. I just think she's too young to choose her sexuality."

"Choose? Zuko, she didn't choose to like girls. She isn't 'too young' to like girls."

"She is. I don't know any 12 year old girls who says that they like girls."

"You do now. Her name is Toph Beifong. People like you is why those '12 year old girls' won't come out. Actually, when I was her age, I liked girls. I still do."

"You were still questioning."

"Oh, Zuko... I was done questioning when I was 10. Wasn't 10 the age you had a crush on me?"

"It was. You're dating Ty Lee now and I respect that."

"So, why can't you respect her like you can respect me?" Mai starts to walks up to Zuko. She feels like she's going to yell at him any moment now. She doesn't believe in violence but she wants to slap him so hard right now. It's taking all of her body control to calm herself down.

"I do. I just think that she is too young to like girls."

"Stop using that fucking excuse and answer my question. I don't give a fuck that she is too young to like girls. Toph likes girls and you need to respect that."

"Mai, calm down. I'm pretty sure when she goes to sleep, _**she'll stop being a freak and back to normal.**_ "

That's when Mai snaps. She slaps him so hard that he falls to the ground. Her handprint is on his face. All the remaining calmness has left her body. How could he say that? How could he say that about his own fucking sister? 

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?! JUST BECAUSE SHE LIKES GIRLS MEANS SHE ISN'T FUCKING NORMAL?! THAT IS YOUR SISTER! YOUR LITTLE FUCKING SISTER!" Mai yells. Her body is shaking from anger. Zuko gets up from the cold floor. 

"SHE IS NORMAL! I LOVE HER-" 

"NO YOU FUCKING DON'T!" Mai slaps Zuko again. This one is much harder than the last one. "YOU DON'T LOVE HER AT ALL!"

"I DO! I'M JUST TRYING TO PROTECT HER!-"

"BY CALLING HER A FREAK?! SHE MAY NOT BE NORMAL TO YOU BUT SHE IS TO ME!" 

"I just said that she isn't into girls because she's too young."

"You're protecting her but you're trying to tell her that she isn't gay because she's too young. You're acting like my parents and your father."

"How am I acting like your parents and my OWN father?"

"Easy, my parents are homophobic just like you. They both hate people like me. Your father? He caused a scar. He caused a scar that you'll never forget. You caused a scar on Toph that she'll never forget." 

Zuko looks at Mai with a face of pure anger. His hands are balled up and Mai quickly notices.

"I am not my father. I actually care about Toph."

"You're not your father but you have your hands balled up like you're going to hit me if I speak. Not a playful punch either. You can hit me all you want but the second you decide to take your rage out on Toph, I will end you."

"Why would I hit Toph? She's blind."

"Are you trying to say that you'll hit Toph if she wasn't blind?"

"No! I would never hit Toph!"

"But you will sure say that she isn't normal."

"I'm her brother. Toph shouldn't like girls at all."

"You went from thinking Toph is too young to like girls to saying that Toph shouldn't like girls at all. You are not her brother. Brothers support their sisters no matter what. They protect their sisters. You are just someone related to her."

"I been her brother ever since she was born. I taught her what to do when she had her period."

"I'm not even related to her and I taught her how to wash dishes, clean her room, match outfits, wash clothes, accept herself, discover her sexuality, and more on. The funny thing is, you been her 'brother' ever since she was born but you can't even accept her for who she is. When you apologize and respect her like you respect me, I will talk to you. In the meantime, unball your damn hands and don't talk to me until you apologize and respect Toph." 

Zuko unballs his hands and sits on the couch. He doesn't think he's a bad sibling. He just speaking his mind. His mind is a hateful place. His mind may have ruined the relationship between him, his sister, and Mai. Zuko doesn't do anything but think.

Mai goes into Toph's room. She isn't crying anymore. Toph is on the carpet floor sleeping. It looks like Toph fell off the bed. Her letter to that Katara girl is balled up. There is a new letter next to Toph. It's for Zuko.

_**'I'm sorry that I'm such a bad little sister. I'm sorry for liking girls. I know it's weird and wrong for me to like them because I am a girl myself. I know I'm a freak and i'm not normal. I'm very sorry for liking girls than boys. I'm sorry for making Mai yell at you. You're trying to protect me and I know that. I know you'll never accept my apology because you're mad at me. I love you. -Toph.'** _

Mai wipes away her tears but more keeps falling down. She should never have to see Toph writing something like this. Mai puts Toph on her bed and covers her with the blanket. She sits on the floor and puts her head on Toph's and starts crying. Something she hasn't done in years.

"You should never be sorry because of something he said to you. You are not weird or a freak. You should never be sorry for being you. You're not normal. You're already beat normal because you break the norms. There are many girls like you out there and you don't even know it. I'm sorry that I yelled at Zuko. He said something about you that I didn't like. You are not a bad little sister. You're the best little sister anyone could ever ask for." Mai wipes her tears and stands up. She bends down and gives Toph a kiss on her forehead. 

"I love you." Mai says in a soft and motherly voice. She looks at Toph one more time before closing the door and going to her own room.


	2. the happier one bc zuko accepts toph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this the better one bc toph actually gets accepted and zuko doesn't become a homophobic asshole. idk if this one is longer than the last one but it has the same text before zuko reacts.

"Zuko?" Toph slowly walks into the living room. Zuko is sitting on the couch. It looks like he's watching TV. Adult Swim? She doesn't know. Zuko takes his attention off the TV. In fact, he turns it off. 

"Yes?" 

Toph pulls on her sleeves. She's nervous. Something she hasn't felt in a long time. Toph doesn't know how Zuko will react if he found out his younger sister was attracted to girls more than boys. 

"Can I tell you something?" 

"Yeah, sure." Zuko sits up with his legs crossed. Toph feels her heart beating rapidly. Here goes nothing.

"What if I told you that... I like girls more than I like boys?" 

"Really?" Zuko said. His voice sounds like he's ready to give her a big lecture. She hears him get up from the couch. She hears the footsteps of Zuko walking towards Toph. Once he got enough, he gets on his knee and gives her a hug. "Were you afraid that I was going to yell at you?" Zuko asks. Toph nods as Zuko hugs her tighter.

"Keep in mind, if I yell at you for being you, that isn't me. I'm proud of you for opening up to me."

"Thank you, Zuko. Mai helped me to come out to you. She said that if you didn't accept me for who I am, you aren't a brother."

"That's good. Seems like Mai really likes you. You probably feel the same way about her. 

"Well, I do like having her around." 

Toph and Zuko laughs as they let go of the hug. 

"Let's go get some ice cream. Would you like that?" Zuko asks. 

"Yeah!" Zuko gets off his knee and holds Toph's hand as they walk out the door to get some ice cream. 

\- 

Mai overheard the conversation between Toph and Zuko. She's proud of Toph for being brave and coming out. She grabs the rainbow skulls she made and puts them on Toph's door. Resin rainbow skulls with the eyes crossed out. She likes them and she thinks Toph will too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you see, i made a new series abt mai being like a big sister to toph. zuko and toph are still siblings but mai is like her big sister. not really but she acts like one. in case youre wondering where ty lee and azula is, theyre at work. i just didnt know where to write it.
> 
> im also sorry for the first one. i actually made myself cry during the letter scene + mai crying. hopefully this one will cheer you up. im sorry for making yall probably hate zuko. also if zuko was irl, he would never do that. if i made you cry or hate zuko, im sorry. 
> 
> love you all ❤
> 
> enjoy the series!!!

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for this. i made myself cry. don't worry! the next one is zuko accepting toph. i dont know why i did this one first.


End file.
